Low pressure compressor



Sept., 12, 1961 .1.8. cRoMBlE Low PREssuRE coMPREssoR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 26, 1957 R. m W m JOSEH S, CROMB/.E

7%? A/J/w ATTORNEY Sept' 12, 1961 J. s. cRoMBlE 2,999,628

LOW PRESSURE COMPRESSOR Filed Aug. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JosE//;f S. CRoM/E ,47"TORNEY United; States. Patent 2,999,628 LOW PRESSURE 'COMPRESSOR Joseph S. Crombie, 7725 Robinson Way, Arvada, Colo.

Filed Aug. 26, 1957, Ser. No. 680,040

3 Claims. (Cl. 230-47) This invention is directed to a low pressure compressor and more specifically, to a novel and unobvious design that supplies a gas, such as air, at high velocity and relafively low or ambient pressure.

In considering the requirements of va gas engine, especially those Operating -in aircraft at high altitudes, v-it is obvious that a large amount of air is required to support the combustion requirements of satisfactory engine performance. This volume. or amount of air required may be supplied at high pressure and relatively low velocity, the requirement being that air be supplied in amounts suflicient to meet combustion requirements. The compressor of this invention in contrast thereto, Supplies the required air vfor combustion at high Velocity and relatively low or ambient pressure to maintain manifold pressure in an internal combustion engine thus increasing combustion ratio. i w

It is an important object of this invention to provide a compressor which will impart' a Velocity to a gas without substantially increasing the pressure thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a compressor which does not require air seals between the moving and stationary parts thereof.

It is another important object of this invention to provide a compressor that operates at nearly ambient temperature. i

It is another important object of this invention to provide a compressor'that delivers air without increasing its original amount of thermal energy, thereby permitting a more effective gas engine operation lbecause of higher temperatures of compressed air attainable in the, engine cylinders or firing chambers. V` i It is another important object of this invention to provide a compressor which avoids the usual problems of heat extraction. I

It is another important object of this invention to provide a compressor which avoids the necessity of using materials of construction which are required to withstand elevated temperature operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a compressor that expands air as it passes therethrough and at the same time imparts a high Velocity to the air i Further Objects. of the invention will. be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIGURE l is an end view of a compressor embodying the features of the present invention, portions of the housing being cut away to disclose the operative relationship of the rotor and exhaust areas;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational sectional view, showing the relationship of the individual barrels making up the rotor and intake areas;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional end view, taken substantially on line 3 3 of FIGURE 2, showing the relationship between intake areas, rotor barrels and exhaust areas, and

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the rotor showing the staggered relationship of the individual barrels.

The compressor of the present invention, indcated in a general way by numeral 10, will be seenV to include a drive shaft 12, a rotor structure 14 mounted on the drive shaft for conjoint rotation therewith, and a housing 16 'ice enclosing the rotor and receiving the drive shaft which is journaled for rotation therein.

In the specific form shown, the rotor 14 will be seen to be of generally disc-shaped cylindrical configuration with sides 15 and a peripheral surface 22 and having a hub 18 attached to a drive shaft 12 by means of a conventional spline and groove connection indcated in a general way by numeral 20, although other common types of shaft and wheel connections could also be used.

The peripheral surface 22 of the generally cylindric shaped rotor 14 includes therein a plurality of rows of ciroumferentially spaced openings communicating with angularly spaced arcuate barrels 24 each of dirninishing cross-sectional area in progressing toward hub 18, with each row of barrels defining and dividing the rotor 14 generally into two spaced Sections 26 and 28, separated by a generally central web 30 depending from hub 1,8l between the ends thereof. Each barrel 24 of one row is preferably arranged in offset stepped relation with respect to the barrels of any other row such that adjacent rows of barrels are out of phase. This design of the rotor permits high speeds of rotation with a minimum of vibration. Oifsetting the rows of barrels further produces a more uniform fluid delivery.

Portions of the rotor 14 adjoining the hub 18 are cut away to define annular cavities 32 on either side of the rotor opening away from the central web 30 and cornm-unicating With all barrels of a row.

The housing 16 includes side plates 34 having openings formed by a plurality of circumferentially spaced webs 36 arranged to register with the annular cavities 32 in the.

rotor 14 defining intake openings 37. A rim 3i8-interconnects the side plates 34, being secured thereto as by securing bolts 35, and encloses the periphery of' the rotor 14 in spaced relation thereto defining a peripheral cavity 40 which includes diametrically opposed and oppositely extending exhaust conduits 42 communicating. with cavity 40. Adjacent each discharge conduit 42; a, tangentially positioned baffle 43, supported by housing 16, extends inwardly into peripheral cavity 40 to points immediately adjacent periphery of rotor 14, effectively divding peripheral cavity 40 into as many parts as there are. exhaust conduits.

Each end of shaft 12 is rotatably supportedV in an antifriction bearing 44, the inner race of the bearing being sesecured to theassociated end of the shaft 12 by suitable means and the outer race supported from the outer wall ofV Vside plates 34' by suitable securing boltsv 46,.

The rotorstructure of the compressor is` driven from shaft '12 which'ris arranged for connection with apower source (not shown) such as a gas turbine or the like.

The impeller structure of rotor 14 is seen to be a double set of blading as indcated by numerals 48 and 50 in back to back relation which is made up of webs separating barrels or generally horn-shaped openings 24 of any given row. This blading is Curved opposite to the direction of rotation and arranged to have a peripheral discharge at an angle through exhaust conduits 42. Fluid intake is on opposite sides of the rotor through intake openings 37 centrally located in the side plates 34 and communicating with annular cavities 32 on either side of rotor structure 14. Discharge from the blading which is fully shrouded by rim 38 and side plates 34 is carried through peripheral space 40 and exhausts through exhaust conduits 42. Bafiles 43, which may conveniently be an inward extension of a tangentially extending porton of exhaust conduit 42, terminating immediately adjacent the periphery of rotor 14, is an important element of the compressor of this invention. Baflies 43 serve to divide the peripheral space 40 and thus the compressor into as many functioning compressor units as there are baflles and conresponding exhaust conduits. In each unit Within the compressor as peripheral ends of impeller blading, webs 48 and 50, approach bafiie 43, fluid, such as air, drawn in at intake openings 37, is discharged from barrels 24 into peripheral space 40 and discharged at high Velocity through exhaust conduits 42. As the blading vis rotated past bafles 43, residual air is discharged into a peripheral space 40 separated 'from the exhaust by bafiies 43 at essentially exhaust velocity. Thus it is seen that the exhaust from one compressor unit within housing 16 is discharged -into the intake of the next compressor v'unit and functions as a compound compressor in composition. It is believed that this compounding action is further enhanced by the presence of a low pressure zone 52 being formed on the side of the bafiies 43 away from exhaust conduits 42.

It will be appreciated that since the compressor of this nvention operates at low or ambient pressures that seals between rotor walls 15 and housing side plates 34 are unnecessary. Further, since the compressed fluid is discharged at high Velocity while at low or essentially ambient pressure, fluid -issuing from exhaust conduits is essentially at ambient temperatures, and avoids the necessity of auxiliary cooling means or the required use of materials of construction `in the compressor capable of high temperature operation.

Thus, by utilizing of a rotor comprising a double impeller of novel structure having blading which is rearwardly curved and discharges the compressed fiuid at an angle, in combination with baffles positioned to divide the peripheral discharge space into several compressor units, a unique and novel construction is obtained which results the compounding in composition of the compressor units contained in a single compressor housing to produce an extremely high through-how rate and high performance components which are not obtainable with the conventional arrangements heretofore utilized.

Various modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled -in the art without departng from the spirit of my invention and hence it is intended not to be restricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A low pressure compressor comprising a disc-shaped rotor including a hub member mounted for rotation on -a shaft, said rotor being provided with annular cavities on opposed sides of said rotor adjacent to said hub and a pair of rows of hom-shaped openings diverging outwardly and rearwardly from said annular cavities through the periphery of said rotor, a housing arranged in spaced rela- -tion over said rotor to form a peripheral cavity adjacent to the periphery of said rotor and including a plurality of openings in substantial registry with the annular cavities in said rotor, and a pair of diametrically opposed tangentially extending exhaust conduits leading from the peripheral cavity formed by said housing in a direction opposite to the rearward extension of said horn-shaped openings and with the inner ends of said exhaust conduits defining baihes terminating adjacent to the periphery of said rotor to direct the fluiddischarged from said horn-shaped openings into said conduits.

2. A low pressure compressor according to claim 1 in which each row of horn-shaped openings is disposed in staggered relation With the other row and said horn-shaped openings are proportioned to discharge fluid at a hig Velocity and a relatively low pressure.

3. A low pressure compressor comprising a rotor of substantially cylindrical configuration having a plurality of generally horn-shaped openings curving rearwardly and outwardly through the periphery of said rotor from adjacent to the axis of rotation thereof, and a central web dividing said horn-shaped openings into a pair of adjacent circumferentially extending rows and with each row of openings extending through the periphery of said rotor in staggered relation with the adjacent row of openings, a housingl including a rim disposed in spaced relation to the periphery of said rotor and a plurality of intake openings to admit fluid into the innermost ends of said horn-shaped openings, and diametrically-opposed exhaust conduits in the periphery of said housing each including a bafile terminating adjacent to the periphery of said rotor to expel the fluid from the peripheral space between said rotor and said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 126,639 Leifel May 14, 1872 494,991 Ruble Apr. 4, 1893 513,057 Poole Ian. 16, 1894 730,099 Dickie et al. June 2, 1903 795,938 Seymour Aug. 1, 1905 2,064,126 Schellens et al. Dec. 15, 1936 2,074,650 Holdaway Mar. 23, 1937 2.101,653 Schellens Dec. 7, 1937 2,335,734 Calvdwell Nov. 30, 1943 2,34l,871 Karrer Feb. 15, 1944 2,472,412 Fritz Inne 7, 1949 2,803,590 Skow Aug. 20, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,253 Great Britain of 1878 7,598 Great Britain of 1904 9.489 Great Britain of 1912 18,211 Great Britain of 1911` 262,066 Switzerland Inne 15, 1949 542,468 Great Britain Jan. 12, 1942, 

